Foles Sharp In Loss To Patriots

FOXBORO, Mass. - One week made a world of difference for quarterback Nick Foles. He completed 8 of 10 passes for 81 yards and a touchdown in the 42-35 loss on Friday night at New England one game after tossing two interceptions in the preseason-opening loss to Chicago.

Exhale, please.

"I wanted to come in here and play a clean game and be efficient and just go through my reads," said Foles, who did just that. "We had a great week of preparation and really just focused on seeing the defense, knowing, hey, just go through it, stay in rhythm, move in the pocket and stay alive if I need to and get the ball to the guys."

Foles and the offense didn't get on the field until there was 5:09 remaining in the first quarter after cornerback Cary Williams intercepted New England quarterback Tom Brady and returned it 77 yards for a touchdown, followed by New England's 9-play, 74-yard touchdown drive to even the game.

Even then, Foles wasn't on the field for long. His first play was a completion to wide receiver Ifeanyi Momah, who lost possession and New England recovered. After another New England touchdown drive, Foles came on with 2:39 to go in the first quarter and ran only five plays before punting.

Foles and the offense got into gear in the second quarter before giving way to Mark Sanchez, who was again outstanding.

"It's human nature. If you have a bad game, you want to have a good game the next game," said Foles. "You don't want to have a bad game again. Going into the Bears game I felt good, but I made a couple of mistakes that I really focused on this week. It was great getting back to practice.

"I felt good out there. I think the big thing in this game is that we can't turn over the ball and we can't shoot ourselves in the foot. That really hurts us."

"We have a great group of guys," said Foles. "Everybody is going to help out in this offense."

Back on track after the hiccup in Chicago, Foles has another couple of weeks before turning his attention toward Jacksonville. The Eagles host Pittsburgh on Thursday in the crucial third preseason game when starters usually play at least a full half.

In the meantime, Foles is keeping his approach the same: he's shown remarkable poise for a third-year quarterback, no matter the ups or the downs.

"One day at a time for me and for this team," he said. "We have to play smarter, play cleaner and make sure we're all on the same page and working in the direction. I'm excited for what we're doing here."